How to Maintain
Energy Balance
How often do you catch yourself saying,
"Boy, I wish I had more energy." The fact of the matter is that we all would
like to have more energy or at least maintain energy balance. To understand
energy balance, think of your body as a car that operates 24 hours a day. You
would never expect your car to get you from one place to the other without
refueling, just as it is not necessary to put more gas in a tank than it's
designed to hold. That is how many of us operate our bodies. We try to run on
empty for hours, then dump in more fuel than we can handle. So how do we
maintain good energy balance?
For one, it is a good idea to eat as soon as you wake up in the morning.
Breakfast is in fact the most important meal of the day. It is very important to
have a nutritious breakfast due to the fact that while you were resting, your
body was deprived of nutrients and energy. Next, make sure to eat something
before you exercise, no matter what time of the day it is. Studies show that
exercise following a meal enhances metabolism. Eat soon after exercising, when
your body has depleted its energy stores, act fast, or else you will start
burning muscle for energy. Eat a total of five to six small meals a day. By
eating small meals throughout the day, you will maintain good energy balance and
not feel like you are starving. Thus, you will have less of a tendency to
overeat. Try to adopt a routine that allows you to adhere to the tips listed
above. As a result, you will see quite a difference in your energy balance.
Effortless Tips for
a Healthier Day
Sometimes you just don't have time to
think about how to be healthy. But you can follow these three tips to help your
health - they are so simple you don't even have to think about it!
Drink a glass of water when you brush you teeth. You know that you need 8
glasses of water a day - what an easy way to sneak an extra glass or two.
Buy better bread. Get used to whole wheat! Compared to white bread, whole wheat
bread has more fiber, grains and nutrients. But just because it has a darker
color, doesn't mean that it's always better. Read the label and make sure it
says whole wheat bread.
Dip your carrots. Are you snacking on carrots? Probably not. The next time you
want to munch on something crunchy, instead of reaching for a bag of chips -
grab a handful of fresh baby carrots. Dip them in some dressing or eat them with
a cube of cheese.
Six healthy
nutritional habits
Start the day with a glass of juice.
Eat a bowl of high fiber cereal and put
pieces of fruit on top. i.e. blueberries, strawberries, banana, etc.
Cut up some raw vegetables, put them in
a ziploc bag with a little dressing for flavor, and snack on them throughout the
day.
Slices of citrus taste great on a
salad. Orange or grapefruit pieces work well with some dressings.
Mixing some fruit, yogurt, skim milk
and anything else you like, into a blender creates a great tasting healthy
treat, while still keeping an eye on the calories.
When you crave something crunchy,
instead of reaching for a handful of greasy chips, grab some baby carrots and
dip them in some ranch or blue cheese dressing. This will satisfy that desire
for munching on something crunchy plus the health benefits are much greater.
There are many ways to sneak some additional fruits and vegetable into your diet
without getting bored with the same things all the time. Your limited only by
your creativity.
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